Page 2 - ON BUILDING A HUMAN COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE

A BETTER ASIAN AND GLOBAL FUTURE

Today, the international scene continues to undergo profound and
complex changes. Countries are becoming increasingly interconnected
and interdependent. A few billion people across a great many developing
countries are working hard to achieve modernization. The trend of our
time toward peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit, has
gained momentum.
Yet the world is far from peaceful. The problems associated with
development remain stark; the global economy has entered a period
of profound adjustment, and its recovery is a tough process. The
international financial sector remains fraught with risks, different forms
of protectionism are on the rise, countries seeking to make economic
structural adjustments still face many difficulties, and global governance
mechanisms await improvement. Achieving common development for all
countries remains an uphill battle.
Asia is today one of the most dynamic and promising regions in
the world. Its development is closely connected with development on
other continents. The countries of Asia have energetically explored
development paths suited to their national conditions and through their
own development have greatly boosted global growth. Working side by
side with the world’s other regions in difficult times, tackling together
the global financial crisis, Asia has emerged as an important engine
driving world economic recovery and growth. In recent years, Asia has
contributed over 50 percent of global growth, bringing the world much
needed confidence. What’s more, Asia’s cooperation with other regions
at regional and sub-regional levels is thriving and vibrant and promises
great things.
Of course, there is no mistaking that for Asia to seek greater
development, to boost our own development and that of other regions,
we still face many difficulties and challenges. The road ahead is beset
with hills to climb and gullies to cross.
Asian development needs to catch the wave, transform and
upgrade. For Asia, development continues to be of paramount
importance. Development is still the key to solving the major problems
and difficulties we face, and we need as a matter of urgency to transform
our growth models, adjust our economic structures, make development
better quality and more productive and, on this basis, make life better for

31